The qnotes staff is pleased to unveil our newly redesigned website and welcome you into our new online home!
We’ve worked for several weeks to make refinements and other changes to our new design — all the while keeping all of our readers and your comfort in mind.
If you’re a regular visitor, you’ll immediately recognize a significant departure in terms of style and layout from our previous website structure. In fact, some might even think it drastic. But, it has all been purposeful!
Our new design is being launched to coincide with our July 18, 2014 QList—Best of LGBT Charlotte print edition. It is still, somewhat, a work in progress — we’re still working to perfect some items (we’re looking forward to your feedback in the process!) like the new mobile and tablet versions of the site.
But, the overwhelming majority of our work is done, and we hope you’ll be able to immediately take advantage of all the new design has to offer, like…
- Cleaner and simpler layout: Our old site was, well, cluttered. And messy. And distracting. Who wants to read an online article with too many distracting ads or graphics or other pieces of information getting in the way of what you really came to see? No one. Not even our staff. So, we’ve dropped one of the sidebars. We’ve cleaned up the remaining sidebar. We’ve made the font size and line spacing larger, making online reading here more comfortable.
- Mobile- and tablet-friendly design: We know an increasing number of our readers are accessing our website via smartphones and tablets. Our new design makes it easier for you to read qnotes on both. We’re still working out some kinks, mostly on our smartphone site versions, but we’re excited about the opportunity you’ll have to easily read qnotes where ever you are, whenever you want to and on whatever device is in your hand.
- Love for our advertisers: A cleaner, simpler interface not only makes readers more comfortable, but also our advertisers. qnotes receives the majority of its support from small, locally-owned businesses. They don’t like the clutter, either. Our new site helps our advertisers’ message stand out a bit more. As readers, we hope you’ll occasionally throw some support behind the small business owners and other advertisers who help make our work possible.
Supporting local, independent LGBT journalism
In addition to our online redesign, we’re excited to launch our new online giving program, allowing readers just like you the opportunity to support the important work of local, independent LGBT community journalism through one-time or ongoing monthly gifts.
Since 1986, qnotes has been your source for independent, community-centered arts, entertainment, news and views covering issues and events of importance to local LGBT citizens and residents. Nearly 30 years later, the newspaper is still going strong, and we’re still evolving to deliver your news and entertainment in new and exciting ways. Through it all, qnotes has remained a free community news service. But, producing the news isn’t free. qnotes must pay staff, rent, telecommunications services, production costs and more.
As the 21st-century media landscape has changed, the way news companies pay for the content they produce has also changed. Advertisers have more options, as do readers. In response, some newspapers have begun raising the price of their once-free or cheaper print editions and requiring their readers to buy subscriptions to view online content. We don’t charge our readers for our print newspaper or put content behind a “paywall,” but we do believe that readers have an important place in the production of news and entertainment. A mix of voluntary financial support from readers and the continued support we receive from advertisers can ensure that our dynamic, hard-hitting and insightful news and entertainment coverage continues hitting the streets in print every other week and published online every day.
Our voluntary reader subscription allows you to support the news you’ve come to enjoy and depend on. With your one-time or ongoing monthly support, you make it possible for us to continue our nearly three-decade long tradition of community service. You’ll join our advertisers in helping keep independent, local LGBT media strong for years to come as we explore exciting new options and new content delivery platforms like a re-vamped online presence, audio and video reports, a smartphone and tablet app and more. And, you’ll also receive our special thanks at each giving level!